(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for cutting metal. More particularly, this invention relates to devices for cutting metal using reactive materials.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Military, law enforcement, and emergency response personnel have a longstanding need for breaching locks, doors and other devices to allow access to closed areas and spaces in time sensitive situations. Similarly, these same communities and other officials who carry guns require a means to instantly tack weld things to metal objects in air or underwater such as bridge abutments, radio towers, ships hulls and other targets.
To be able to instantly perform these tasks underwater, as well as in air, is an enormous benefit, especially in covert and clandestine military operations. These breaching/tack welding devices will greatly increase the probability of mission success and operator safety while reducing the size, weight and time necessary to perform these various purposes, as compared to any system or device currently in use.
Traditionally, electric and gas welding systems have been used for these purposes but are not usually carried into combat, law enforcement, or first responder situations; and must be acquired after a critical circumstance has been neutralized. Additionally, a number of explosive and incendiary devices have been developed that will penetrate and/or weld like and unlike metal; nonetheless, these specialized systems must be planned for in advance, in order to have them available when needed. No prior art exists to convert or develop standard service guns that will accurately and reliably fire normal ammunitions as well as provide the added capabilities of cutting and tack-welding metals: the unique purpose of this invention.
Recent research and development of high power density, chemically reactive materials now make possible its packaging in a manner feasible for use in service weapons for this purpose. Some potentially related systems are explosively driven systems that are of limited value in clandestine or covert operations where minimal noise is critical and explosives create a variety of logistical and operational limitations in both foreign and domestic situations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,372 describes the concept of an incendiary device. It is a stand-alone device for defeating Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and other purposes. It does not encompass the concept of modifying a standard service gun for the purposes of breaching and tack welding metals. Therefore the tactical advantages of the proposed invention are not realized. In a manner, the indicated reference describes a different means of containing and delivering Reactive Materials (RM).
Another situation for which it is desirable to discretely cut metal relates to structures located in bodies of water. In particular, Federal law requires that offshore, non-producing oilrigs must be removed. In the Gulf of Mexico alone, the Department of Interior's IDLE IRON program mandates the removal of more than 650 permanently abandoned platforms and 3500 non-producing oil and gas wells.
After the wells are permanently sealed and the rig's platforms are removed, the sub-surface structures must be disposed of as well. However, law requires that they be cut below the mud-line. This necessitates cleaning the mud, sand and debris from inside an oilrig's numerous legs and lowering a high-explosive charge into each leg to be detonated simultaneously. Numerous high-explosive charges detonated simultaneously, results in significant fish, sea mammal and sea turtle kills and other environmental damage. The demolition of these underwater structures also presents serious risk to the boats, barges and personnel involved with or near these explosions. Additionally, the transportation and storage of high explosives in the maritime environment presents a serious threat to national security in this age of terrorism. The use of high explosives offshore is a longstanding, high profile, political, environmental and national security issue.
What is needed is a device that enables cutting and/or welding in a clandestine manner in a variety of operating environments including, but not limited to, underwater.